Slacking in the "I'll keep you updated" department.... oops.

Last post..... 2010.... and 7 months later here we are.. Lot of shenanigans have been going on, lets see..

Leaving the Philippines

Starting school and moving in to my FIRST apartment a week later.... a little fast but hey that's the way i roll.

Being totally scared out of my wits to work on clients but hey... i survived.

Figuring out who This chick is..... still working on it but, hey... I am getting there.. i am only 19.

Being totally and happy and confident about my self and making a BUTT load of Fantastic friends. 

No money. No job. But, a great family and awesome friends.

School is Bomb. The church is TRUE and Life is Fantabulastic. Concurring the world one day at a time..: D

Singapore

Friday, Sept. 25^th 2010:

                Today we flew to Singapore with Uncle Rich, who sat back in Economy with us… Lol. ;) It was a pretty quick flight and such a nice airline. We had fun. We got to drive on the wrong side of the road and it kind of FREAKED me out. Lol. Then we went to a SUPER BORING business dinner ;). Aunt Di and I ended the Dinner with a Giggle attack. We also had GREAT fun in the AMAZING swimming pool at the top of our hotel. Which, By the way,  is the most AMAZING hotel I have EVER stayed in!! So Beautiful!

Saturday, Sept. 26^th 2010

                Today Aunt Di and I spent most of the Morning in the room getting ready and relaxing. Then we went and ate lunch at a cool Japanese restaurant where they cooked us an AMAZING 8 course meal right in front of us. Then we walked around the mall there and attended the first part of the race, but walked back alone because I didn’t feel well, so me and Aunt Di were Bums together in the room. Lol.

Sunday, Sept. 27^th 2010

                Uncle Rich left for Denver early so, Aunt Di and I relaxed in the room again until Lunch then we ate lunch at a super fancy restaurant with the business peeps and had LITERALY 12 courses. I was almost ready to pop. Then Aunt Di and I walked to China Town and saw some cool shops where I bought the CUTEST dress. Then we went to the Race for a little while, but those business men ticked us off so we left. Lol.

Monday, Sept. 28^th 2010

                Today we ate Breakfast and flew home. The boys were excited to see us. Lol. I would be to, we are AWESOME!

Tuesday, Sept. 29^th 2010

Today I cleaned out Aunt Di’s fridge. And Rodello’s son, Jerald, came over and we went to Jollibee and Dairy Queen. He is such a cute boy. Then I found this cool little station in the mall that as selling fans and embroidering names on them it was Amazing how quickly she did it. The lady was so talented.

                While Rodello and Di got Rodello’s Plane ticket to go home,  so he could visit his dad, I played Bubbles with Jerald. It made one Heck of a mess in the hall way of the mall… But, we had fun! He is such a cute little boy!

Wednesday, Sept. 30^th 2010

                Di went to the hospital to see why she was so sick. We thought that my mom had tried to call and it was the middle of the night in the US, so I got worried and called home and it had ended up that Di spelled my name wrong and so when I butt dialed her she thought that it was my dad… Lol. So, I ended up going home and Scaring the crap out of my mom in the middle of the night. Sorry mom.

Villa Escadaro!

Tuesday, Sept. 22^nd 2010

                                Today we drove the car to Villa Escadaro; it is this cool resort place. (With a twist) Lol. We walked through an Old Catholic church that was made into a museum. It was cool to see all of the old artifacts from the past. We then took a Caribou ride to their lake. It was awesome, we got sang to the whole way… Lol. We then rode canoes on the lake. Aunt Di and I in one, Rodello in the other. We Raced… and we WON!! Are you surprised?? Two McNeill’s at their best. Lol. We then went and played in the pool. While INNOCENTLY playing around, I was approached (to put it lightly) by a white man and a Philippine woman that were enraged. The man claimed that Aunt Di and I were making un of the way he was rowing… He was a little sensitive.. Lol. I told him that I didn’t know what he was talking about and that I would never say such things about another person. Lets just say that he didn’t believe me.

The man, “Does it make you feel better making fun of another person?”

Me, Very confused, “Sorry? I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Don’t act so innocent, I can see right through your act honey.”

“Um, I really don’t have any idea what you are talking about…”

“ We heard you out on the lake making fun of the way we row, sorry that we are not as good at it as you are.”

“I would not say such things” by this time Rodello had the accusations under investigation…  Lol.

“Oh, Ok. So I am just the crazy white guy coming over here just to pick a FIGHT, because I have nothing better to do than to just waste my time on you people.”

“Excuse me??”  I had no idea what to do in this situation, but all was well, my protectors were all over the situation. While all I could do was stutter in bafflement Di pulled both of them aside and let them know what a great person I was and that it was all just a misunderstanding. (Ahh, shucks...) Lol. Seriously, do we have signs on our backs saying, “Please pick a fight with me?” Lol.

                After  we settled the giggles about the “crazy white guy” (his words not mine). We dried off and got to eat lunch at the bottom of a Beautiful waterfall. So Calm, and relaxing, I Could have stayed all day.

After our VERY eventful day and Aunt Di and Uncle Rich attended a business dinner, and Rodello and I walked over to the Mall and got dinner and I found some really awesome Jewelry for only $3 a piece. It was SUCH an AMAZING DAY!!

Wednesday, Sept. 23^rd 2010:

                I rode the Motorcycle BY MYSELF to the mall with Rodello and Di on the other bike! It was great FUN!! Except for the part where I thought that I had lost Aunt Di and Rodello… Whoa that gave me a mini Heart attack. But all is well.  

Thurs. Sept. 24^th 2010:

                Aunt Di had her trainer come and give me a Pilates session… Holy. I have never been more worked out in my LIFE. It was the hardest thing that I have ever had to do!! I am thoroughly convinced that he WAS, in fact, trying to KILL ME!! Lol. The rest of the day I packed for SINGAPORE!!

Mabuhay Deseret

Holy! OK… Um.  Crazy the way time flies… where to start?

Sunday, Sept. 20^th 2010

 Aunt Di was sick all day in bed with a fever. Uncle Rich and I took care of her… and watched movies and hung out. Aren’t we awesome nurses? Lol.

Monday, Sept. 21^st 2010

Mabuhay Deseret

We drove the bikes to Mabuhay Deseret, which is this cool place that the church set up, for kids that need major surgeries that can’t afford it. (I believe)  The kids come and stay while they get their operations and while they are recovering. Most of them come from far away Provinces so, the church set it up so that they can stay in a comfortable place while away from home. Some of the kids have been there for more than 3 months.  The ages of the kids I met were from 2 to 14. About 6 kids all together.

 I also got to drive the motorcycle home on the HIGHWAY! It was AWESOME. Except or the part where I had to switch Edison when we saw all of the police at the light… Lol.  Also, a man at the stop light got out of his car and stared yelling at us saying we scratched his car with our bikes... untrue. The best part was when we pulled over the side of the road and Rodello drug him out of the car by his neck and shoved him onto the side walk and asked him to show him where the damage was. There was none. Aunt Di says that lots of people drive around trying to get money out of people. Both Rodello and Edison were AWESOME!! Coolest thing I have ever seen. SERIOUSLY.. BEST.DAY.EVER. Also we went to Edison’s house and met his family and sang Karaoke. It was a blast! They are such a cute family, I am very glad I got to meet them.

Philippines!!

             On Monday Aunt Di, Me, and Edison went to one of Aunt Di’s favorite Orphanages. It was a small place with about 5 kids and 4 babies. They were all so cute, and SO well behaved, and all of the volunteers there are so kind. On Wednesday, we had them come to Di’s house and we went to McDonalds and swimming at a pool near where she lives, the kids were so cute and had so much fun!! They were so cute. I really hope that we will be able to visit them a lot. They are all such beautiful kids!

             Ok, so on Thursday... Aunt Di, Rodello, and I took a “buying” trip. (as my dad would put it, he goes buying; not shopping and not browsing. Lol.) We took a little trip to the Yamaha store, and came out with a motorbike. It is pretty awesome. The workers were so nice, they had great customer service. After we had bought the bike, they told us to have a seat and that they had a special performance for us. We sat and they proceeded to dance to Justin Bieber’s “Baby”... It was awesome. Aunt Di says that is typical Philippine move. She says that they are great performers and that they love to do it! I believe her, it was great! All Thursday afternoon we played on the motorbike and hung out. It is seriously AWESOME here.

On Friday, we left the house about 7 on the motorcycles for a little road trip. First, we had to stop by Teletech and get Aunt Di’s Camera, and see Uncle Rich before we took off. The Teletech call center is awesome, it is super colorful. I got to meet Riassa (Rise-a), Uncle Rich’s Assistant Super Hero, Lol. She is great! She has lots of personality. I got to see Uncle Rich’s office and he showed us around the place. He just about made some trainees have a heart attack sneaking in and checking on them, (he is the big Boss that everyone is intimidated by, Lol.) It was great. We then took off and after maneuvering through lots of traffic we got to Tagaytay. (Ta-guy-ti) It was so BEAUTIFUL on the ride up; there were tons of flower shops on the side of the rode along with food and souvenir shops. We drove to the partial top of the hill-mountain and parked our bikes walked the rest of the way up, pretty steep but not too bad of a walk. Once we were up the mountain-hill, we got to look over the lake and see the Volcano and the little towns throughout the hill side. It was beautiful. The Philippines is one the most beautiful places I have ever been. Well, once you get out of the city. Lol. Just teasing, it is all beautiful, and the people are beautiful too. They had this cool statue of Mary?? I think it is Mary... Lol. Should have looked a little closer. It was awesome to see, I am so glad that we went. The ride back was a little Killer— only because about the last hour of the trip my BUTT was KILLING ME!!! Lol. It was all ok after I got off the bike..

              So, I have been playing Basketball with Aunt Di, Rodello and Edison lately and it has been a lot of fun. I just wish that I were a little more coordinated when it comes to things like that... Lol. But that is ok, I am still having fun.

               Also I can’t express to you how much I love Aunt Di and how much she reminds me of my dad. Lol. She says some of the same silly stuff that my dad says. Lol. The same little patients fit, totally hilarious. It’s a McNeill thing I guess. She is TONS of fun to be around.

        Having LOTS of fun in the Philippines, Miss you all!

                                X0X0—Charley :D

My Last Few Days- CRAZY week!!

Sorry for the sudden break. It has been so crazy the last couple of days. It seems like it is just flying by. So here is a quick update.

On Monday we went out to breakfast with Uncle Rich. Then me, Nathan, Hannah and Brad went to this cool antique store. It was so neat to see all of the different things from clothes, hats, pearls, blankets, dishes, desks and letters that obviously meant enough to someone to keep such a long time. I think that is awesome. 

            After Breakfast and the Antique store, Hannah gave me the great honor of letting me play American Girl dolls with her (I officially am saving up to get one, lol) It was tons of fun, playing dolls with her, because she has such an imagination. She is such a doll.       

Then I, Hannah, Brad, and Josh built this cool fort in the basement. They thought that it was the coolest thing they had ever seen. After we built it we watched and American Girl movie in it. They Loved every seconded of it. For dinner we got to eat at the olive garden. One of the best places EVER!! I didn’t even suggest it, Hannah did. Yum:) 

Well, today we left for the airport about 9. I got to say bye to the kids. They were so cute. They were all, “Charley you will have to come back and see us, and build us forts and color with us. You know you could just live with us and be our nanny. We will pay you in chocolate and kisses.” Lol. They make me laugh. They are seriously some of the Funniest and Cutest kids on the PLANET!

When we got to the airport we had to return our car to the Rental car place. That was to say the least interesting, only for the fact that we had 8 bags between the 2 of us to TRY to attempt to get them to the bus and to the airport (without) losing a single one. We managed to get ALL of the bags on a cart and onto the bus. Lol. The ride to Minneapolis was interesting. I sat next to a man that snored the WHOLE time.... That was an experience. The people sitting across the aisle litterally laughed at me the whole plane ride. Ah, Boy was I glad to get off that plane. 

When we got off the plane we had to walk a mile at least to get to the next terminal. And we made it just as they started to board the plane. Few. That was cutting it a little close. But all was well we were some of the first to get on. Thanks to the woman flying business class! Lol.

The flight to Japan was better than I expected seeing as I slept most of the way. Also, the food wasn't terrible, and I sat next to the window. And for another thing the 14 hours goes by fast when you have cute boys to look at and nice people to talk to! JK. Lol.

When we landed in Japan, I got to have another interesting experience. I needed to use the Bathroom..... And you know how everything in Japan is futuristic? Well, you haven't seen anything until you have seen a Japanese restroom of the future. Let's just say it takes a whole swat team to figure out how to flush the toilet... Well, yeah. And the door was automatic. So, you had to press a button open and close. Holy. It was... strange to say the least. 

 Also while we were in Japan, we got to eat at this cool authentic Japanese noodle place. It was AMAZING!!! I loved it! The flight to Manila was a fast 6 hours, only because I slept the whole way. lol. When we got to the Airport in manila it was also quite an experience trying to get our bags, because everyone is pushing to get to the front. So no one can get their bags. So they just go round and round and round. Lol. We got them eventually (with force) and found Aunt Di's driver Rodello. Who is really nice by the way. I was really tired by the time we got to her house. But I managed to stay up and get my things unpacked, I then slept like a baby. Lol. 

In the morning Aunt Di took us to breakfast at this cool pancake house, Where we saw a table of famous actors from the Philippines. Lol. It was cool. Oh, and the food was good too! Lol.

All day long I stuck out like a sore thumb. Lol. People were staring, I felt so weird. Ha. After breakfast Edison another driver, took me to the mall across the street to get me a new sim card and load me up so I can have a phone to text Aunt Di if I ever need to. So, we had to walk across a really busy street to the huge mall next to her house, but crossing the street was chaos. No one waits for you to cross the road, it is seriously death to try and cross. Lol. But, I made it alive. Lol. 

One thing that I do have to say is that the air is so hard to breathe here, mainly because of all the pollution, but it is defiantly getting better. Also, it is so HOT!! Not only is it hot but it is humid. Yuck. Lol.

Sept. 9^th:  Today I got to experience the farmers market. Holy. It is crazy how unsanitary everything is. It’s all just lying out, all the meat, the veggies, the fruit and fish, and if something falls on the floor they just pick it up and put it back. Crazy. Rodello had me try this strange fruit, I forgot the name, It was really sweet. Except when you would get a bad seed... Then it was KILLER bitter. I got one and it almost made me throw up. Lol. It was funny. Rodello laughed at me but, It is all good. We came back home and I decided to take a nap. I ended up sleeping from 3pm to 8am the next morning. I must have been sleepy, because I slept right through dinner, and Aunt Di trying to wake me. Lol. I feel bad about it. But it’s a good thing she decided to not cook anything.

Sept. 10^th: In the morning I woke up to find that Aunt Di left at 6 in the morning to go…GOLFING. I am glad that she decided to let me sleep... Lol. It was a nice and relaxing morning. Me and Aunt Di went to Green hills and I got a VERY BEAUTIFUL Jimmy Choo Hobo Purse- A-Mazazing!! Ahh, and for ONLY 800 pesos= what might you ask is that in American Dollar Bills?! $18-$20!! Man, I know what you are saying, Get me one of those… No! Lol. No room in the Suitcase. The rest of the day was pretty laid back, it was nice. We went to S&R (Mini Costco) it was fun… I am weird. I got Aunt Di to sit down and watch GLEE!! Lol. She loved it! It was so fun hanging out with her.

Sept. 11^th:  Today we spent the morning running and playing basketball 2 to 1 at a local court. Me and Aunt Di SCHOOLED Rodello! Lol. Then we ate lunch watched Glee and went to see Princesses husband. Princess was one of Aunt Di’s really good friends and workers that passed away in January. So we go to see him at his work and I also got to do some souvenir shopping spending only 3 or 4 dollars on everything.

I seriously can’t express how much I love this place! I am having the time of my life. I am really excited to get started with the real work. Everyone is so nice here they all are super friendly, they smile and say hello to you. It is awesome! Although I am not saying that I don’t miss my family, because I do, A LOT. I defiantly miss my family, my bed, my town, my COUNTRY! Being here makes you appreciate everything that we take for granted in the US. Like for example, Meat- you have to be so careful of what kind of meat that you eat, where you buy it and where it comes from: Also, with streets, rules, driving, It seems that you can do whatever(and I MEAN ANYTHING) there are no rules when you are driving, it is absolute CHAOS! It scares the life out of you. People are living on the street and not just a few, hundreds, thousands, homeless- broke-jobless. It is devastating. I just hope that there will be something I can do to help in some little way. I feel as though I am rambling on. I am going call it a night and go to bed. Sleep tight America and Enjoy the Freedom. LOVE you all miss you and Sleep tight!!

                                              With Love, Charley:D

Down Town Chicago.

Today was a lot of fun!! First we drove to down town Chicago to the John Hancock Building, The 4th largest building in Chicago. lol That was really neat to be able to see a huge view of the city. We were able to eat lunch at the 95th floor (YIKES). The food was really great! I had Mahi Mahi... YUM. and a really awesome salad and Pasta! It was really funny because when you would look out at all the buildings, we counted 6 swimming pools on the roofs! I have decided that I am going to have a swimming pool on my roof!  :D

Then we were able to go to Sprinkles. It was this really cute cupcake shop, we ended up getting 2 dozen cupcakes... LOL We all got to eat one right out side the shop while everyone that was waiting in line watched. It was weird. Me and Aunt Di were the ones that had to sit with them on our laps.. So we looked like we were pigs eating these 2 boxes of cupcakes by ourselves.. lol They were delicious though!! Especially the Red Velvet. YUM! 

After cupcakes, we walked the Magnificent Mile. Which is Michigan Ave. It was awesome to see all the designer shops... That i would never in a million year just be able to shop there. Not only because on the prices.. but because chubby girl stores suit me better.. ;) 

We then walked over to the Jazz Festival.. That was cool. If you like Jazz. All i can say is that some of those piano players have QUICK fingers! haha. We ate on the grass and listened to music. It was nice. We also got to walk over to the pier, that was so neat to see all of the boats justa floating out there.. lol. It made me miss boating. :) 

Holy! I can't believe that i almost forgot!! We went into the AMERICAN GIRL STORE. Coolest thing EVER! We got to see all the dolls, the salon- where you can bring your doll in and have them do their hair and a  doctors office- where they fix your doll and give her a gown and a band to make her all better! It was so stinking cute!  Huge inside, they even had head gear that you could buy for your doll!! I want one, lol Me and Hannah played with them as soon as we got back home! I LOVED ever minute of it!! :D

Also Aunt Di got her I-pod with her I-pod accessories stolen.. we think. At the restaurant, while we were eating... oops. Coat rooms are not very secure anyways, anyone can just walk right in. 

Tonight was a BLAST!!! Loved seeing the big city, all the buildings and PEOPLE! Who would have thought that there would be so many people in one place at once!!! haha JK.

Tomorrow we are going to church, then we are having a BBQ with Uncle Rich's sisters! It should be fun!

Until next time!!! 
      <3 Charley :D